Reminding device



Feb. 4, 1941. T, BUTLER REMINDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 20, 1939 BEFORE I FORGET GETABLES IN EGAR INVENTOR. Harry TB'uf/er BY a/zlw fiww ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a reminding device and more particularly to a device by which housewives may remind themselves of supplies that are needed for the household.

An important object of the invention is to eliminatethe use of pegs that have to be withdrawn from-a board and inserted into sockets.

It is an object of my invention to provide quicker and simpler means for reminding a housewife, without the use of said pegs and sockets and without the use of a pencil.

The invention also comprises novel details .of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes an embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is a face view of an embodiment of a device carrying out the foregoing objects.

Figure 2 is a broken, transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a broken; vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral 4 indicates a back member or board upon the face of which is a series of names 5 of household articles. Suitable spaces 6 may be arranged adjacent the names 5, in which the housewife may write the names of other articles or other household duties, such as laundry, etc.

A space I is provided at the top of the back member 4 which may contain a slogan to remind the housewife to use the board or it may contain an advertisement, if the present device is distributed as an advertising novelty. At the bottom of the back member 4 a pad 8 may be provided. The pad 8 may be either a blank memorandum pad or a calendar pad, or instead of the pad 8 an advertisement may be printed in the space covered by the pad 8. An opening having an eyelet I0 is provided at the top of the back member 4, in the center thereof.

It is to be understood that a tack or nail 9 may be used to hang the device on a cupboard door or other appropriate place. The opening is of sufficient size for the back member 4 to freely swing around the tack or nail 9 as an axis. The purpose of this free swinging action will be explained hereinafter.

Mounted upon the face of the back member 4 is a channel member I2 provided with flanges I3. The channel member is mounted on the back member 4 by means of three lugs I4, I5 and I6. The lugs I4 and I6 extend from the ends of the channel member I2. Three sides of the lug I5 are stamped out of the floor of the channel I2, as shown at IT, and after insertion through a slit in the back member 4 the lug I5 is bent downward against the back of the member 4 substantially to the broken line position shown at 5 in the drawing. The lug I5 thereby maintains the mid-portion of the channel member I2 against the face of the board 4.

It is to be understood that the lugs I4 and I6 are also inserted through slits in the back memher 4 and after such insertion the lugs are bent against the back of the board member 4, the same as the lug I5. The lug I4 is normally bent downward and the lug I6 is normally bent upward, as shown in broken lines in the drawing.

Freely slidable in alined openings in the flanges I3 is a series of pins I8. The pins It may be made of nail stock or other suitable material. One end .of each pin I8 is bent substantially at right angles, as shown at I9. The other end of each pin I9 carries a head 20. The

bent ends I9 and the heads 29 limit lengthwise movement of the pins I8 in the openings in the flanges I3.

In the use of the present device, the pins I8 are normally to the left, as shown by the top six pins in Figure 1. When the housewife desires to remind herself to purchase further commodities, she pushes the respective pins to the right, as shown in Figure 1. As examples, Figure 1 shows that the housewife wishes to purchase more flour, milk and tea. Under normal conditions of use in the above described manner, it will be noted that, since the pins I8 are mounted through openings of both flanges I3 of the channel member I2 and are of substantially greater length, along their ext-ended portions in each extended position, than the space between the flanges, the weight of the extended portions acts by leverage to promote frictional engagement between the pins and the flanges at those points where the pins are within the openings of the flanges. Thus the pins act of their own accord to steady the same against accidental displacement. It is also to be observed that, by the use of lengthwise, shiftable pins, all danger of mistake as to the indicated commodity is removed, since when extended to indicating position, each pin will overlie, and partially obscure the name of its respective commodity. There is thus no necessity of sight alinement of indicator and commodity name and danger of error is minimized.

After replenishing her supply of these commodities, the housewife can very quickly return the pins to their original position, in which the heads 20 contact the nearest flange I3. This restoration of the position of the pins is very quickly effected by swinging the entire back member 4 in the direction of the arrow A, around the tack or nail 9 as an axis. Since the pins l8 are freely slidable in the flanges I3, the pins that have been moved to the right will slide back to their original positions by one simple swinging motion of the board 4 in a counter-clockwise direction. The board is then returned to its normal, vertical position and all of the pins l 8 have their heads contacting the adjacent flange While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to avail myself of all modifications which may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A household reminder comprising a back member mounted to swing about a fixed axis, a channel member on the back member presenting spaced parallel flanges, and a series of pins freely slidable through openings in both flanges of the channel member and arranged to be slid to a desired position on the channel member by swinging motion of the back member about said axis, said pins being manually slidable beyond opposite sides of the channel member and, when so extended, presenting portions beyond said member of substantially greater length than the space between said flanges.

2. A household reminder comprising a back member having thereon a series of names of commodities, a channel member on the back member at one side of said series of names, having spaced flanges, a series of pins slidable laterally through both flanges of the channel member, in the direction of said names respectively, and abutment means on the pins limiting movement of the pins in the channel member the pins when extended to one side of the channel member overlying and partially obscuring respective names of said series of names.

3. A household reminder comprising a back member mounted to swing about a fixed axis, the back member having thereon a series of names of household commodities, a channel member on the back member presenting spaced flanges having series of alined openings, a series of pins slidable in the openings of the flanges to extended positions beyond opposite sides of the channel member, and in one extended position partially obscuring said names respectively, the pins being freely slidable in the flanges and arranged to be moved to another extended position by said swinging motion of the back member, and heads and bent ends on the pins limiting movement of the pins when moved in the direction of the names and limiting movement of the pins when moved to the pre-determined position by the swinging motion of the back member the said pins being of a length presenting an extended portion beyond the channel member in each extended position of substantially greater length than the space between the said flanges.

HARRY T. BUTLER. 

